The Noble Pursuit

Learning, sharing and building upon the experiences of each other, we strive to help others learn what they need to know, to do what they have to do.

Friday, April 08, 2005

We, together, have a dream...

We, together, have a dream...

A dream of a better life for ourselves, our family, our community, our religion, our businesses, our nations, our planet and for each other. A dream that will make the Italian Renaissance pale by comparison. A dream that is at once simple in its truth, and far reaching in its scope.

The world does not always have to be like this. If anything is possible, and we have proved this to be true time and time again, then the time has come for us all to bring the dream of a better world into the reality of our lifetime. The time has come for us to choose what sort of world we want to live in. We can choose if we want to continue to live in a world based on fear, scarcity and power, or to transform the heart of the world into one that is based on love, abundance and knowledge.

In a world based on knowledge that is open and available to others instead of being controlled by an elite few, there is no scarcity or limitations on the ability of every human to create value. Each human is unique and capable of contributing in service or in thought to others. When all knowledge, including the knowledge of this dream, is able to be improved and shared with others in ways we can not yet imagine, by word of mouth, by ink and paper, by digital technology, abundance and limitless prosperity is within our grasp.

We have a unique opportunity in front of us today. This change is already happening on a global scale. Every human being on the planet is beginning to wake up to this reality in the wake of the events of September 11, the endless violence in the Middle East and from the Enron scandal. Have we not learned our lessons from past mistakes as to what works and what doesn't? Or are we doomed to fail yet again.

Things must change soon, and drastically, or, as with every great civilization before us, our time as caretakers of this planet will soon be over.

The good news is that change can happen in an instant, within each of us, once we decide that we don't need or want to live like this anymore. Once we believe that it does not always have to be this way, we can choose to respect and find strength in our diversity and in the universal truths we all know in our minds and feel within our hearts. To manifest these truths in our lives every day. To make a new set of agreements with ourselves, and then with everyone else.

One modern example of the essence of the new social contract needed to enable this dream is found in the work of Don Miguel Ruiz and The Four Agreements. Rather then continuing to focus on the differences between us all, and our points of contention, it is time for us to first stand together on the common ground shared by all people. The Four Agreements of being impeccable with your word, not making assumptions, not taking things personally and always doing your best, is a wonderful start. Other additions to the new social contract include respecting the unique value of each life, committing ourselves to not hurting others and believing in the power of every individual to change, grow and contribute to the common good.

There are many other agreements on an ever widening common ground that will bring this dream for the planet into existence. So let us talk with each other. With our opposites. With those who are different then us. With those we may today call our enemy. Let us not ask why they are so different, but rather why are they so similar. This is where the conversation, and the better world it represents shall begin:

We, the people of the planet, recognize that the laws we have inherited for governing ourselves and the interactions with other systems of law, are based in a world of fear, scarcity and power. We now desire to make things right and good and just, by changing the social contract we have with ourselves and with each other. The world, and each life on it, is precious, unique and of value. In order to ensure the continuation of our species, we choose to embrace love over fear, knowledge over ignorance, and abundance over scarcity. We enter into this agreement with each other, actively, consciously and from the depths of our very being.

We dream a better world, we dream of doing it together.

It is with this understanding and positive intent that we commit our lives from this point forward to The Noble Pursuit.

About Me

I started my first Internet company in 1994 and have been involved in quite a few since. At present I am organizing BrainJams in the Bay Area and working on launching a national BrainJams tour. I am also taking on consulting projects that deal with interactive communications, strategy, web site development, software architecture and user experience design. My personal site is located at http://www.chrisheuer.com/ where you can find out more about me as well as contact me.